California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed multiple waste and recycling laws over the weekend, many of which attracted attention from major companies in the state.
Battery recycling update
SB 501, signed by Newsom, will add medium-format batteries to the state’s existing Responsible Battery Recycling Act of 2022.
This means producers of batteries for e-bikes, lawn equipment and other categories will be required to participate in a product stewardship program.
Batteries are a growing concern for waste and recycling service providers around the country due to fire risks. An August bill analysis cited multiple costly examples of California truck and facility fires that may have been connected to batteries.
Bill supporters included Recology, Republic Services, the Resource Recovery Coalition of California and several solid waste authorities and municipalities. National Stewardship Action Council, Californians Against Waste, the California Product Stewardship Council and the Product Stewardship Institute, among others, also backed it.
Elevated temperature landfills
AB 28, signed by Newsom, will set up new protocols for managing temperature events at landfills following a high-profile situation at Waste Connection’s closed Chiquita Canyon Landfill. The site has been experiencing elevated subsurface temperatures since 2022, leading to community and regulatory issues.
This bill establishes protocols for CalRecycle to require correction plans if a subsurface elevated temperature event occurs at a landfill and authorizes the agency to impose penalities of up to $100,000 for certain violations. Additionally, the bill calls on CalEPA to set up a “multiagency coordination group” to address elevated temperature events. The bill also includes other monitoring and community impact provisions.
AB 28 was backed by numerous environmental groups, including Californians Against Waste. As of Aug. 28, it was opposed by Waste Connections, WM, the Resource Recovery Coalition of California and the Solid Waste Association of North America’s California Chapters Legislative Task Force.
Other approved bills
- SB 936 adds new restrictions to nitrous oxide container sales. Multiple waste and recycling companies backed this bill, citing safety concerns and logistical challenges for household hazardous waste programs.
- SB 955 updates language related to reverse vending machines and supermarkets under the state’s bottle bill program.
- AB 2481 updates eligibility requirements for glass quality incentive payments under the bottle bill program.
